Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 131: The Descent

The adrenaline was fading, and reality was setting in. And reality, as it turned out, was extremely heavy.

Primrose tried to stand up.

"Okay," she grunted, pushing off the crystal floor. "Up we go. Easy does it."

She got halfway up before she felt a strange, massive weight drag her backward. It was like wearing a backpack filled with bricks that also had a mind of its own.

"Whoa!" Primrose flailed, tipping backward.

Whump.

She landed hard on her butt. The massive, five-foot-long white tail fluffed out behind her like a cloudy cushion, saving her from a bruise, but not from embarrassment.

"Are you okay?" Caspian asked, rushing over. He was clutching his chest where the Void Lance had hit him, but he was more worried about her.

"I’m fine," Primrose wheezed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "I just... I didn’t think it would be this heavy! It’s like towing a boat!"

Vali, who had fully woken up and was currently vibrating with energy, poked the tail.

"It’s fluffy!" Vali cheered. He buried his face in the white fur. "It smells like snow and sugar! Can I sleep on it?"

"Get off, you little rascal," Primrose laughed, trying to stand up again.

This time, she leaned forward, compensating for the new counterweight. She managed to stay upright, but she felt like a toddler learning to walk. The tail swayed left; she stumbled right. The tail swished right; she nearly face-planted into Rurik’s chest.

Rurik caught her by the shoulders, grinning.

"Nice balance, Fox," Rurik teased. "You walk like a newborn pup."

"Shut up, Wolf," Primrose muttered, gripping his arm for support. "I’ve gone twenty years without a tail. My center of gravity is confused."

"It suits you," Rurik said, his voice dropping a little lower, softer. He reached out and tugged one of her fox ears. "You finally look complete."

Primrose felt a flash of warmth on her cheeks. She knew she shouldn’t care—Caspian had told her a hundred times he loved her regardless of her tail status—but hearing the usually gruff Warlord acknowledge her transformation felt validating in a different way. It wasn’t about being "broken" before; it was about finally unlocking the power she knew was inside her.

But before she could respond, a high-pitched shriek echoed from the web above.

"GET OFF ME!"

Everyone looked up.

High above, Freya and Konrad were helping the last few children down from the precarious web strands. Freya moved with gentle efficiency, lifting small wolf cubs onto her back, while Konrad looked terrified he might break them.

"Easy now," Konrad muttered, awkwardly holding a small boy who was clinging to his cape. "Do not... do not sneeze on the Lord’s cloak. Please."

Freya chuckled, patting her husband’s arm. "You’re doing fine, dear. Just pretend they are very fragile swords."

As they reached the ground floor, the adults finally spotted the two small figures standing near the entrance.

Astrid and Orion.

"Astrid!" Freya marched over, her mother-voice activating instantly. "I told you to stay in the courtyard! You disobeyed a direct order!"

"And you brought the Prince!" Caspian added, frowning at his son. "Orion, that was incredibly dangerous. You are not built for high-altitude rescue missions."

Astrid stood her ground, though she looked a little guilty. She gripped her oversized sword.

"We couldn’t just stay," Astrid argued. "The beacon wasn’t enough! We had to help!"

"It was a calculated risk," Orion added, shivering slightly but looking his father in the eye. "We knew the odds were bad, but sitting still felt... illogical. We had to try."

Rurik crossed his arms, trying to look stern, but his tail was wagging traitorously behind him.

"You two are in so much trouble," Rurik growled. "But..."

Before he could finish, a grey blur launched itself at them.

"PACK HUG!" Vali screamed.

He tackled Astrid and Orion, knocking them both into the snow. He wrapped his arms around them, squeezing tight.

"You came back!" Vali cheered, burying his face in Astrid’s shoulder. "I saw you! You jumped! You’re crazy!"

Astrid stiffened for a second, then she dropped her sword and hugged him back.

"Yeah, well," Astrid mumbled. "You’re heavy. Don’t get used to it."

Orion, squashed in the middle, sighed. "Okay, okay, too much pressure. My ribs are bending." But he didn’t push them away.

The scolding died in the adults’ throats. They watched the three cousins—Wolf, Merman, and half-wild Wolf—tangled in a pile of laughter and relief.

"Fine," Freya sighed, smiling. "We’ll discuss discipline later. For now... good job."

Getting into the Shrine had been a desperate, heroic charge. Getting out was pure, unadulterated chaos.

There were thirty-two children. They were cold, confused, hungry, and—because they were Wolf Kin—extremely energetic now that their mana was back.

"I have to pee!" a small boy yelled from the back of the group.

"My shoe fell off!" a girl cried.

"Who are you?" another kid asked Konrad, poking the terrifying Marquis in the leg. "Are you a giant?"

Konrad, who had faced armies of Void monsters without blinking, looked completely overwhelmed. He stood stiff as a board while three toddlers used his cape as a tissue.

"We need to evacuate," Konrad announced stiffly. "Formation... evacuation formation."

"That’s not a real formation, brother," Rurik snorted. He stepped forward and put two fingers in his mouth.

WHISTLE.

The piercing sound silenced the room.

"ALRIGHT, RUNTS!" Rurik roared, his Alpha voice booming off the crystal walls. "LISTEN UP! We are leaving! Single file! Smallest in the front, biggest in the back! If you push, you walk last! If you bite, I bite back!"

The children’s eyes went wide. They scrambled into a line faster than trained soldiers.

"That," Rurik said, dusting off his hands, "is how you handle a pack."

"Showoff," Primrose muttered, but she was smiling.

They began the long walk down.

Konrad and Freya walked near the back of the line, ensuring no stragglers were left behind. The wind had died down, leaving a crisp, silent night.

Konrad was staring ahead at Vali, who was currently trying to climb Rurik like a tree while they walked.

"He has it," Konrad whispered, his voice heavy with dread. "The Crimson Gaze. The mark of the First Wolf."

Freya looked at her husband. She saw the fear in his eyes—the fear that had ruled Winter-Hold for a decade.

"He does," Freya agreed calmly. "He has the power to devour mana. He has the strength of a monster."

"It will consume him," Konrad murmured. "Just like the prophecies said. He is a danger to the entire North."

"Is he?" Freya asked sharply.

Konrad blinked, looking at her. "Freya, you saw him. He almost exploded. If the Fox hadn’t..."

"If the Fox hadn’t been there, yes," Freya interrupted. "But she was there. And Rurik was there."

She pointed a gloved hand at the father and son ahead of them. Rurik was laughing as Vali tried to bite his metal bracer. Rurik wasn’t scolding him; he was playfully growling back, teaching him control through play.

"Konrad, look at them," Freya said softly. "You thought that power was a curse because you thought it couldn’t be controlled. You thought the only way to deal with a ’monster’ was to lock it away."

She stepped closer, her voice firm.

"But Rurik didn’t lock him away. He raised him. He loved him. Vali isn’t a monster, Konrad. He’s a happy little boy who happens to have the power of a god. And because he is loved, he won’t destroy the world. He’ll protect it."

Konrad went silent. He watched Vali laugh. He remembered his own childhood—the strict rules, the isolation, the fear of emotions.

"I... I was wrong," Konrad whispered. "I sent Rurik away to save the clan from his wildness. But his wildness was exactly what we needed."

Freya squeezed his hand.

"You were trying to protect us," she said gently. "But you need to fix this. You owe your brother an apology. A real one."

Konrad nodded slowly. "Yes. I do."